Wayne Rooney Would Love to Return to Everton, Claims Phil Jagielka

After more than a decade in the red of Manchester United, it’s easy to forget that Wayne Rooney was once an Everton player. But according to the current Toffees club captain Phil Jagielka, the Red Devils skipper would love to return to Goodison Park one day.

As noted by Chris Bascombe of The Telegraph, the defender thinks that while it’s unlikely, Rooney would relish the chance to come back to Merseyside and make an impression again for his old club:

"

He would come back but he wouldn’t want to come back at the end when he wasn’t the player he was. He wouldn’t want to come back for the sake of it. He would want to come back and make a difference.

He wouldn’t just come back just for the sake of running around and doing nothing. Wayne has high standards. He would want to come back to break records, score the most goals for Everton—that’s the type of person he is.

But he’s got a big future, especially doing so well for Manchester United at the moment, and I can’t see them letting him go anytime soon.

"

Jon Super/Associated Press

Rooney signed for United in 2004, leaving the Everton fanbase—of which he himself was once a part of—dejected at his departure. Initially, the forward was greeted with raw anger and animosity upon returning to his former stomping ground, but over time the angst between the two parties seems to have mellowed.

Here’s a look back at some of Rooney’s brightest moments in the colours of his boyhood club:

Ultimately, while the former Toffee may want to come back eventually, it’s a move that has to suit both parties. Given Everton’s humble financial clout, Rooney’s astronomical wages and the fact the player will be 30 this year, it’s tough to see circumstances emerging that would see him return.

PAUL ELLIS/Associated Press

For all the accolades and titles the forward has won throughout his storied career, you wonder whether one piece of silverware with his local team would be worth more than any.

It would be a dream end to a distinguished career, but if we’re ever going to see Rooney donning royal blue again, there needs to be a seismic shift in the landscape of north-west football.